adventurers make amazing discoveries Some explore Earth’s surface Others dive deep into the oceans And some blast into space on powerful rockets Giant Leaps for Womankind Today more women than ever are entering science technology engineering and math STEM fields These fields include physical science and Earth science These two areas of study are central to exploring our world More than half of the women who earned STEM college degrees in 2009 majored 6 IN THE REAL WORLD Careers in Exploration Explorers are making exciting discoveries in many fields Here are just a few of them Geologists study Earth’s natural processes Their work helps predict disasters such as earthquakes and landslides This can save lives Deep-sea biologists study life far beneath the ocean’s surface Marine geologists study the ocean floor They try to predict where volcanoes will emerge Planetary astronomers study other planets Solar astronomers study Earth’s sun Stellar astronomers study other stars
Studying hard in science classes helps prepare young women for careers in exploration in physical and Earth sciences They studied subjects such as astronomy geology and physics STEM graduates are finding careers in higher numbers too Many work at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA NASA has hired large numbers of women in recent years In 2013 37 percent of the space agency’s new employees 7
were female Half of its eight new astronauts that year were women Imagine the excitement of working 155 miles 250 km above Earth at the International Space Station ISS Astronauts there zoom around the planet at more than 17,000 miles per hour 27,400 km h Perhaps you would rather walk on the ocean floor in a sturdy diving suit Incredible forms of life lurk in these dark corners of the sea Or maybe you would prefer the thrill of studying active volcanoes Red-hot lava flows from deep below the ground up to the surface at these 8 Hohonu Moana Expedition In 2015 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA explored the deep waters off the Hawaiian Islands This project was called the Hohonu Moana expedition Kelley Elliott led the expedition Her team explored for 12 weeks It identified at-risk marine habitats It located large communities of deep-sea life such as corals and sponges It also collected data on the region’s geological history
sites Pioneering women have explored all of these places They brave extreme conditions in some of the most amazing locations on and off the planet They are making exciting discoveries about the world around us FURTHER EVIDENCE Chapter One includes information about exploration careers What was one of the chapter’s main points What evidence was given to support that point Check out the article at the link below Choose a quote from the piece that relates to this chapter Does this quote support the author’s main point Does it make a new point Inspiring Women in STEM mycorelibrary com women-in-exploration 9
